6243tes@whuts.UUCP (STERKEL) (11/27/85)
The current postings on Esperanto, finally got me motivated to look into it as a viable language. I consider myself as a mediocre language user in all languages, just enough to get along. Found a comprehensive U.S. Army manual FM 30-101-1, 1962, (AGO 4300B) on Esperanto, titled "Esperanto, the Aggressor Language" (hence the subject of this posting. My comment is: YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING. Esperanto appears to have incorporated the worst and most aggrevating problems from all languages (actually European). I'll stumble through my faulty German, Spanish, or use the guide books, thank-you. -- [opinions are obviously only my own; Terry not necessarily those of my asso- ihnp4!whuts!6243tes ciates or those of my employer.] cornet 232-2899
neal@druxv.UUCP (Neal D. McBurnett) (12/01/85)
> Esperanto > appears to have incorporated the worst and most > aggrevating problems from all languages (actually > European). Could you please be a little more specific about your objections to Esperanto? Despite some of my initial misgivings about some of the points of grammar, I've come to the conclusion that there are only a few worth calling "defects", and that most of the aspects that seem aggravating at first turn out to be advantages when you get used to them. Even more important, if we decide to start fooling around with the language, we will loose the progress it has made so far: 30,000 books, maybe a million speakers, a diversity of styles of poetry, etc. No system as complicated as a language can please everyone. Obviously Esperanto has pleased more people than any other similar undertaking, so it makes sense to support it. -Neal McBurnett, ihnp4!druny!neal